The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Heuchera and given the cultivar name of ‘Midnight Ruffles’. Heuchera is in the family Saxifragaceae. Heuchera ‘Midnight Ruffles’ originated from a planned cross between Heuchera K580-8 (a proprietary unreleased plant)) as the seed parent, and Heuchera 148-1 (a proprietary unreleased plant) as the pollen parent. Compared to the seed parent, Heuchera K580-8, the new cultivar has larger leaves that are black rather than blue green and insignificant flowers rather than white flowers. Compared to the pollen parent, Heuchera 148-1, the new cultivar has leaves that are larger, black rather than amber colored, and more ruffled.
Compared to Heuchera ‘Black Beauty’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,288), the new cultivar has a much larger leaves and habit and leaves that are more ruffled.
Compared to Heuchera ‘Chocolate Ruffles’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,965), the new cultivar has larger, darker leaves.
Compared to Heuchera ‘Black Taffeta’ (U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 13/987,220), the new cultivar has longer leaves that are ovate rather than orbicular, with more of a purple tint, less glossy, more lobed, and has smaller, less showy flowers.
Compared to Heuchera ‘Zipper’, U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 13/987,219, the new cultivar has a larger habit and shinier foliage that is red brown to purple brown to almost black in color rather than golden amber to orange.
This new Heuchera is distinguished by:                1. large, shiny, red brown to purple brown to almost black leaves,        2. very cut and ruffled leaves showing red purple backs,        3. a medium large plant size,        4. small purple-brown flowers in spring, and        5. excellent vigor.        
This new cultivar has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (cuttings and tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identical characteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by stem cuttings and tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques with terminal and lateral shoots, as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that the foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environment without a change in the genotype of the plant.